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Cryptography That Is Provably Secure
Researchers have just released hacker-proof cryptographic code — programs with the same level of invincibility as a mathematical proof.
In Quantum Games, There’s No Way to Play the Odds
These games combine quantum entanglement, infinity and impossible-to-calculate winning probabilities. But if researchers can crack them, they’ll reveal deep mathematical secrets.
Goals and Rewards Redraw the Brain’s Map of the World
Two new studies show that the brain’s navigation system changes how it represents physical space to reflect personal experience.
Proof Finds That All Change Is a Mix of Order and Randomness
All descriptions of change are a unique blend of chance and determinism, according to the sweeping mathematical proof of the “weak Pinsker conjecture.”
Sum-of-Three-Cubes Problem Solved for ‘Stubborn’ Number 33
A number theorist with programming prowess has found a solution to 33 = x³ + y³ + z³, a much-studied equation that went unsolved for 64 years.
How the Brain Links Gestures, Perception and Meaning
Neuroscience has found that gestures are not merely important as tools of expression but as guides of cognition and perception.
Solution: ‘How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers’
Puzzle solvers used “imaginary” numbers to solve a real world problem: finding long-lost treasure.
She Finds Clues to Future Sustainability in Old Food Webs
By reconstructing prehistoric food webs and analyzing the diverse interactions of humans with other species, the ecologist Jennifer Dunne is developing a new understanding of sustainability through network science.
Quantum Machine Appears to Defy Universe’s Push for Disorder
One of the first quantum simulators has produced a puzzling phenomenon: a row of atoms that repeatedly pops back into place.